This is the week of the Noir Flilm Festival in Washington, D.C. which I eagerly await every year. Tonight was my first night in town after an unavoidable commitment; and this rare film "Act of Violence" is concluding as I write. Fortunately, I was able to watch this film here on Archive.

"Act of Violence" is a dark, suspenseful film of moral complexity set in the aftermath of WW II. A seemingly successful young man, Frank Enley (Van Heflin) with wife and baby son is pursued relentlessly by his former best friend from the Army, Joe Parkson (Robert Ryan) over an incident that occured when the two men were held in a Nazi prison camp. In short, Joe is out to kill Frank. As the film unfolds, the story and Joe's stalking of Frank become clear.

The film develops the characters and motivations of the two men together with Frank's wife Edith (Janet Enley). Joe's girl Ann (Phyllis Sturges), and a prostitute, Pat, (Mary Astor) who becomes involved in the situation. Astor's performance of the hard-bitten aging woman of the streets is relatively short, but a highlght.

The film is masterful in its tension and in its ambiguity. The cinematography, set largely on site in Los Angeles and its environs, is classic noir with a violent climax and denoument. Fred Zinnemann, who would go on to a long, successful career, directed the film.

The "Czar of Noir" Eddie Muller's comments on this film on "Noir Alley" enhanced my viewing. Although I missed seeing this film at the annual Noir City D.C. Film Festival, I was grateful for the opportunity to watch it here on Archives.

Robin Friedman